


Argumentative Resolutions

by galacticstars



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, kind of a get together fic, resolutions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-12 01:17:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5648467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticstars/pseuds/galacticstars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Phil finds a list of resolutions when Dan leaves his phone unlocked and open for anybody to see. Whether Phil should take a peak or look away is completely argumentative.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Argumentative Resolutions

“Dan, where’s the marshmallows you bought today?” Phil asked from the kitchen.

 

He searched the cupboards for a good five minutes before asking Dan. He knew that if he hadn’t looked well, Dan would be angry at him for disturbing his leisure time.

 

He heard Dan groan frustratingly. The sound of him setting down his laptop and begrudgingly stomping toward the kitchen was well heard. With each pronounced step, Phil grimaced at the thought of a bothered Dan. 

 

Dan entered the kitchen, took a sharp turn and pointed to the bags on the countertop. “Phil, they’re in the grocery bags,” he deadpanned. He was exhausted, but mostly tired of Phil’s ignorance.

 

“I’m sorry, Dan,” Phil said quietly, the words barely coming out of the back of his throat. He didn’t move to Dan and the grocery bags, wary of what Dan’s reaction would be.

 

Dan sighed and leaned against the counter. He shook his head. 

 

“No, I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “I don’t know why I’ve been so stressed lately.”

 

Phil walked toward him now, however, still wary. He placed a hand on Dan’s shoulder and tried an encouraging smile. He knew of all the hard work Dan put into the whole year and now that it was the end, he seemed lost.

 

“You’re always like this when it’s near the new year,” Phil commented, smiling at the thoughts of Dan on New Year’s Eve for the years he had known him.

 

“I’ve been told by my parents, too, you know,” he mentioned, laughing lightly. “I don’t know what makes me so stressed, though.”

 

“Nerves of the upcoming year,” Phil easily replied. “I have them, too. It’s completely normal to be worried about what’s in store for the next year.”

 

Dan looked up from his huddled position. His lips were pursed as if he was going to object to what Phil had said. Instead, he sighed and nodded.

 

“You’re right,” he agreed, noncommittally. “I’ll unpack the groceries.” 

 

He moved slightly, positioning himself between the bags of groceries and the cupboards. He dug into each of the bags until he found the bag of marshmallows Phil had been asking for. The bag was thrown into Phil’s unready hands.

 

“I’ll help,” Phil offered.

 

Dan shook his head and held up a hand. “It’s fine, I’ve got it,” he assured.

 

Phil decided not to argue with Dan.

 

He walked into the living room, leaving Dan to the unpacking. He saw Dan’s laptop on his Tumblr’s dashboard, a post of a lizard video showing. Next to his laptop was his phone, unlocked. 

 

Phil’s eyes widened at the unlocked phone, staring at its taunting screen. It was unlike Dan to ever leave his phone unlocked, especially when there were people in the house. Especially when  _ Phil _ was in the house. He noticed that for the majority of time he had known Dan, Dan was always secretive about his phone. So to see it lying there, in the starry case Phil bought him for Christmas, was a surprise to say the least.

 

There were many thoughts racing through Phil’s head. He considered the actions of taking Dan’s phone or turning it off for him. Against the good of himself, he decided to take Dan’s phone and look through it.

 

He paused, listening to the rustling of plastic bags and the cupboards opening and closing before being in close proximity to the phone. Then, he dived to the couch to reach the phone. It was left on the familiar yellow screen of the Notes app. There were many notes to choose from. He smiled at the ideas for new videos, rambles of his day, and reminders for daily objectives. Although, one word caught his eye: resolutions.

 

It was typed all in lowercase letters followed by an ellipses. Phil’s thumb hovered over it, debating on whether to poke into more of Dan’s privacy or not. He decided against his better judgement once more. 

 

_ resolutions… _

 

_ make more videos ? _

_ less rants more bants [with friends] _

_ collabs! _

_ new anime _

_ actual exercise _

_ focus on tour _

_ spend less/more time w/ phil _

 

Phil stared at the last resolution on the list. Spend less or more time with Phil? Why would Dan debate that? 

 

The ongoing wonders in his head made him physically sulk. His chest caved in as he slumped against his seat on the sofa. He clutched onto Dan’s phone. His mind bounced back and forth on whether to confront Dan or not. 

 

He thought of Dan’s reaction if he did confront him. How Dan’s face would instantly drop at the sight and thought of his closest friend invading his privacy. On the other hand, he thought of Dan in the new year, 2016, either clinging to dear life for him or completely ignoring him. He hated the latter.

 

Before he could argumentatively decide, Dan poked his head through the doorway of the living room. He had a soft smile playing on his lips, an indication of an apology. As he fully walked into the room, he froze and his smile dropped instantly.

 

“What are you doing?” he demanded. He was yet to move from his frozen state in front of the doorway.

 

Phil’s mouth dropped open, staring agape at Dan. He pursed his lips, the key motion of him coming up with a lie. And Dan knew that.

 

Dan stomped to Phil, snatched the phone from his hands and huffed. “I can’t believe you’re looking through my phone, Phil!” he shouted, shoving the phone into his back pocket.

 

His hand was still tucked into his back pocket. It looked as if he was afraid it would fall out and back into Phil’s grasp.

 

“I-”

 

“There’s no excuse,” Dan interrupted, laughing wryly. “There is no fucking excuse for looking through my phone! You know I don’t like that. You’ve known for years! I’ve asked you not to do it. Yet, here you are!”

 

Phil bit back a quip. Instead, his mouth stayed pursed. He was tense against the couch. His hands were splayed out beside him, as if they were the only things holding him up. He felt queasy, sick of himself.

 

“You’ve really got nothing to say?” Dan mumbled, softer and quieter and more unsure. His tone lost all confidence, he was quivering.

 

Phil breathed shakily. “I-I don’t know what I was thinking,” he said truthfully.

 

His mind was racing far too fast for him to think straight. He didn’t know what else he could say that didn’t involve the resolution list. One half of him was telling him to pursue the blame of the resolution list. The other half of him stopped him, told him to spare the uncomfort for Dan.

“Obviously you didn’t know what you were thinking!” 

 

Phil jumped, his body quivering. He took a sharp breath in and decided to fuel the fire.

 

“Well, how about your resolutions?” he questioned, pushing himself to stand up and fully face Dan.

 

Dan was taken aback. “What do you mean?”

 

“You know, watch anime, more collabs, spending less or more time with  _ me _ ,” he informed with disdain.

 

“I…” Dan trailed off. His fists were clenching and unclenching.

 

“What?” Phil urged. Despite the anger in his tone, he desperately wanted to know the reasons for the addition of that resolution.

 

“It’s hard to explain,” he answered admittedly. “Well, it’s long to explain.”

 

Phil frowned. “Tell me,” he said, “it’s not like we have anywhere to be.” He glanced at the wall clock that struck half past eleven at night.

 

Dan’s eyes remained on Phil. He gulped.

 

Phil wasn’t sure why Dan was nervous. He had no reason to be. Or at least Phil thought. If Dan had a reasonable explanation that was well executed, maybe Phil would understand. He could at least try.

 

“Remember how big of a fan I was of you?” he asked, chuckling nervously.

 

Phil smiled endearingly. “Of course, you were my biggest fan,” he mentioned. 

 

He loved reminiscing in the memories of his first years on YouTube. Especially the part where Dan came into play. Some of Dan’s comments on his old videos were engraved into his memory, never to be forgotten. They were too special to him to even fathom being forgotten.

 

“And you never thought of that as anything more?” Dan asked warily.

 

Phil tilted his head in confusion. “Well, what else would I have thought of it as?”

 

Dan’s shoulders slumped. “There!” he exclaimed, his hand flailing in the direction of Phil.

 

“What do you mean?” Phil questioned, stepping closer to Dan.

 

Dan took a step back. He covered his face with his hands, taking slow breaths.

 

Phil waited. He watched Dan’s upper body move up and down with each breath he took. He watched Dan’s hands slowly drag down his face, lightly stretching the skin toward the ground before his hands flung to his sides. He sucked on his bottom lip, a worried look in his eyes. To Phil, it was obvious he was having a tough debate with himself.

 

“I like you,” he blurted out.

 

Phil was caught off guard. He slowly nodded, his body still stiff with tension. 

 

“I like you, too, Dan.”

 

Dan frowned. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “I  _ like  _ you.”

 

The way he asserted the word “like” struck a match for Phil. His mouth dropped to a circular shape, his eyes flitting to every spot in the room except for Dan. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

 

“I don’t expect you to say anything back,” Dan mumbled, untruthfully. It was as if he was pleading to Phil to respond to him in some form instead of staring blankly at the wall behind him.

 

“I didn’t know.” Those were the only words Phil could stumble out. They were true, that’s what counted.

 

“I didn’t expect you to.”

 

They stood in silence. Dan was nervously looking around the room, his toes curling with the growing tension inside of him. He closed his eyes tight, trying to keep himself calm. He felt emotional, he felt tears. Phil, on the other hand, was staring at the ground. His body was closing in, trying to keep security. He didn’t notice Dan.

 

A short amount of time passed before Dan walked out of the room. Phil looked up then, but Dan was already out of the room. A few seconds later, a door slammed shut and a bed creaked as weight was pushed on it. 

 

Phil sighed. Of course he would mess up a chance to rationally talk to Dan. 

 

He reviewed the conversation in his mind. Shouting, blaming, guilt. That passed his thoughts rather quickly as he settled on the words “I like you” replaying repeatedly. He stumbled backward onto the couch and rested his head on a pillow. He noticed Dan’s laptop, now shut off for being left alone too long, on the floor where he left it. 

 

Phil played with his hands, not sure of what to do. He wanted to console Dan, but he had to know what to say. He wasn’t sure how he felt. He liked Dan, but did he  _ like  _ Dan? Were his feelings reciprocated? 

 

He didn’t want to start up a conversation with Dan only to disappoint him furthermore. He also didn’t want to lead Dan along by telling him he liked him too. Phil couldn’t think straight, his thoughts were jumbled into a mess.

 

He’s thought of being with Dan before, more times than he cared to admit. He loved the attention Dan gave him, he loved giving the attention Dan deserved. He loved supporting him, laughing with him, cooking with him, watching television with him, joke with him, being with him. 

 

Phil shook his head, trying to become focused. In his mind, he listed the reasons why he wanted to get to know Dan in the first place. He listed reasons like Dan listed resolutions. Piece by piece, his mind put together the idea of making his own resolutions list.

 

He reached into his pocket, sliding out his phone. His thumb typed in the code and opened the Notes app. He grasped his phone tightly, wondering what to type in. He was hesitant, almost typing words and phrases, but deciding against them last minute. He thought hard about resolutions, serious resolutions.

 

_ Resolutions: _

  1. _Be more positive_
  2. _Think about your actions before you do them_
  3. _Be supportive_
  4. _Think thoroughly_
  5. _Be less judgemental_
  6. _Make decisions with a clear mind_
  7. _Regret less_



 

The last one made him gulp. The realization of regretting less hit him. If he regret less, he would be happier. But there wouldn’t be regret if he didn’t have such thoughtless actions.  _ Be more positive _ .  _ Think about your actions. Think thoroughly.  _ He sighed, placing his phone in his lap.  _ Be less judgemental. _ That resolution applied to himself just as well as anybody else. 

 

He wanted to talk to Dan.  _ Make decisions with a clear mind. _ What would he say?

 

He’s known Dan for years. He’s cared about Dan for years. Of course he’s liked Dan for years.

 

That was the answer. Phil calmed himself with slow breaths. He liked Dan and there was no changing the fact. He was sure of himself. Nothin told him to back out of it.

 

He put his phone in his pocket and sat straight up. He saw the laptop sitting on the floor, unmoved and unbothered until he picked up and carried it toward Dan’s room. He swiveled through the hallways, careful not to hit any side of the laptop with the wall. With success, he was in front of Dan’s door. 

 

He knocked once, then twice. There was no response, so Phil turned the doorknob, balancing the laptop in one hand. He nudged the door open with his forehead before the unbalanced laptop fell to the floor. He peered into the room to find Dan lying face first on his bed. His arms covered his face and he didn’t acknowledge Phil’s presence whatsoever.

 

“Dan,” he whispered, stepping into his room. He shut the door using his foot. Dan flinched, his head almost moving out of its position in his arms.

 

“Go away,” Dan said hoarsely. 

 

Phil felt a wave of dejection. He sat the laptop on the nearest surface and hurried to Dan’s side. He seated himself at the edge of the bed, looking at the back of Dan’s head. 

 

“You’ve been crying,” Phil stated. 

 

It was no question. Dan never showed his face fresh after he had been crying. His voice was rough and barely there. There was constant sniveling and the occasional quiver.

 

“Yeah,” he scoffed, voice muffled by the pillow underneath him.

 

Phil gently placed a hand on Dan’s back. He knew to move away at any sign of discomfort. So far, Dan laid still. He started to rub his back; breathing loudly, but calmly. 

 

Dan broke down. He clutched onto the pillow and shoved his face into its soft foam. He shook his head and wailed, staining the pillow cover with his tears. 

 

“Dan,” Phil mumbled.

 

Dan responded immediately by sitting upright and staring at Phil. 

 

The sight of Dan made Phil’s heart wrench. A deep red stained his face. His cheeks were puffed and wet. His nose ran, a sniffle every once in awhile temporarily fixed the problem. His lips were dry, his tongue constantly reviving it, but doing a subordinate job. He was a wreck and Phil was the reason.

 

“I’m sorry,” Phil choked out.

 

Dan stared at him. Phil opened his mouth to continue his apology, but Dan enveloped him in a hug. Dan’s arms flung around his neck, holding tightly to him. Quiet sobs were made into the nape of Phil’s neck and his clothed shoulder. Phil’s arms slowly moved up Dan’s side, rubbing up and down to soothe his cries.

 

A few moments passed when Dan wiped his red cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt. His cries calmed to hiccups then to ragged breathing to the state he was currently in. He looked at Phil, sat in close proximity together. He leaned forward and sighed. 

 

Phil could feel the breath that Dan exhaled. They were close. 

 

“I’ll explain,” Dan mumbled.

 

“What?” Phil asked in a murmur, his eyes focused on Dan’s lips.

 

“Why I like you,” he explained, “or how long I’ve liked you, why I never told you until now, etcetera, etcetera.”

 

“Tell me,” Phil breathed, nodding.

 

Dan mimicked the nod. “I like you because you’re you. The most genuine person I’ve ever met and you’ve barely changed since I’ve met you. I’ve liked you since I’ve known you,  _ known  _ you, not stalked you on the internet.” He took a moment to laugh, a small giggle erupting from his chest. Phil was too busy letting the words sink in to laugh. 

 

“And I decided to tell you now because you saw my resolutions list. That resolution has been on there for awhile. I’ve always debated spending less time, but I always ends up spending more time with you because you’re a big part of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. The only reason I keep it on my list is because I don’t want to ruin the chance of a great friendship with you because I wanted too much.”

 

“Too much?” Phil asked, his mouth butting in before his mind could process everything.

 

Dan nodded. “You obviously don’t feel the same,” he pointed out dejectedly.

 

Phil shook his head. “What made you think that?” he asked.

 

“The way you reacted,” he responded. His face showed confusion.

 

“Oh,” he mumbled, “I’m sorry that I didn’t know how to react, but I thought about it. I really did. And I know that I like you back, Dan. Of course, I would.” His voice became stronger and braver with each word. 

 

The smile on Dan’s face was infectious. “Really?” 

 

“I wouldn’t lie,” Phil assured, reciprocating the largest smile he’d ever seen Dan smile.

 

Dan leapt forward, hugging Phil once more. Phil could feel the smile at the nape of his neck. He hugged Dan tighter, one of his hands reaching to his hair.

 

“You wanna know my resolutions?” Phil asked, pulling back from their hug to Dan’s dismay. “Well, do you?”

 

Dan nodded with a smirk. “It’s not as embarrassing as mine, is it?”

 

“Nothing is as embarrassing as you, Dan, but that’s why I like you, I guess.”

**Author's Note:**

> i hope everybody who read this enjoyed it!
> 
> find me on tumblr at caffeinedan.tumblr.com


End file.
